Polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene have been used in many applications, for example in packaging such as bags and cartons. In many instances in order to form the package, it is necessary to effect a seal between two different pieces or two different parts made of the same polyolefin. This may be done using adhesives, but is more commonly done by applying heat to the surfaces to be joined to soften or melt them while applying some pressure to the place where they are to be joined to form a single piece of thermoplastic. This operation is called heat sealing, and is commonly used to join thermoplastic parts. See for instance K. R. Osborn, et al., Plastic Films, Technomic Publishing Co., Inc., Lancaster, Pa., U.S.A., 1992, especially p. 152–153 and 173–175; H. Mark, et al., Ed., Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, Vol. 1, McGraw Hill Book Co., New York, 1985, p. 527; and ibid., Vol. 7, 1987, p. 117.
Most commonly, the heating is carried out by contacting the surfaces opposite those to be joined with a hot object such as a hot bar, or heating the surfaces with hot air or infrared radiation. In any event, the speed at which one can heat the surfaces to be joined to the proper temperature for joining often determines the speed at which one can heat-seal the surfaces. This is particularly true for thermoplastics such as polyolefins, because they often have relatively low thermal conductivities. High-speed heat sealing is important because many such operations are high volume continuous operations where slow heat sealing speeds significantly increase costs.
One way to increase heat sealing speeds is to lower the temperature at which the seal may be formed. This is typically done by lowering the melting point of the polymer being sealed, but has its limits since if the melting point of the polymer is lowered too much the seal itself may be too weak or the polymer characteristics may be detrimentally affected. Therefore, ways of forming satisfactory seals at lower temperatures are constantly being sought.
Numerous attempts have been made to find polymers with improved heat sealing properties, see for instance U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,792, U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,882, U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,807, U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,807, U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,065, U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,247, U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,861, U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,318, U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,106, U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,129, U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,549, WO9303093, WO9532235 and WO9728960. None of these references uses the polymers described herein.
WO9827124, WO9847934, WO9905189, U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,556 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,663 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,569 (all of which are incorporated by reference herein for all purposes as if fully set forth) describe generally certain branched polyolefins, and their uses. The specific polymers used herein are not particularly noted in these publications for use in heat sealing applications.